Swan Lake is Coming Again to Costa Rica

… and I am delighted to say that we have just gotten our tickets!

Even better is that it is coming to The Teatro Nacional, a showplace theater if ever there was one.

This ballet is certainly one of the greatest ever written, and the music is beyond compare.

Whether you are living here in Costa Rica or will be here on vacation for the dates November 9-11, 2018, this is well worth your time.

Enjoy!

Same Sex Marriage Arrives in Costa Rica

While difficult for many to believe in this pre-dominantly Catholic country, the Supreme Court of Costa Rica has determined that the existing law banning same sex marriage is unconstitutional. The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) confirmed that, due to the decision of the court, citizens will soon be able to register the marriages that are celebrated between two people of the same sex. This would be the first time that this type of union will be able to be legally registered in the country. Interested in this topic? Read on… Continue reading »

Costa Ricans – What makes Ticos Tick? Culture Shock and Cultural Adjustment

When I first came to Costa Rica (hard to believe that it was back in the past century… late ’90s!) there were two groups of ex-pats here. A few took the time to really learn the language and the culture… others, (maybe most),  not so much. This has changed greatly and for the better.  More and more people with whom I come in contact not only have learned to communicate in Spanish, they are taking more time to learn the “why things are the way they are” part of ex-pat life.

Living here can be a real challenge, and while I cover the language and the culture shock stuff as part of my tours, in the early days, not a lot of people took me seriously.  The Internet portrays a very different place than the REAL Costa Rica.  Not bad necessarily… just different. Interested in this topic?  Read on… Continue reading »

Same Sex Unions (Gay Marriage) in Costa Rica

Just as in the US, the issue of same sex unions (gay marriage) is in the forefront of the news in Costa Rica.

It should be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Costa Rica is quite socialistic in its leanings, especially insofar as human rights are concerned.   That would seem to bode well for those in favor of same sex marriages. It is just not that simple.

All things being equal, and they are not, it would seem to be  a distinct possibility that this issue could end up in the SALA IV, the Costa Rica constitutional court where it just might be favorably considered.  All things are not equal however.

If this topic is of interest, read on!

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Le Grand Cirque Comes to Costa Rica

I am always a bit suspicious of publicity that compares its product to some world renowned version of that same product.  In this case, Le Grand Cirque has been billed as “The Next Generation of Cirque du Soleil”, the world famous circus from Montreal Canada.  To be fair, the actual phrase came from some magazine or newspaper, Southern Times, and it appears that Le Grand Cirque is not trying at all to feed off the fame of their Canadian counterpart.

If this topic interests you, read on and be sure to see the videos at the end of the Post.

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The Costa Rica Blues Fest

When I left Chicago almost a decade ago, I knew the stuff that I would not miss (snow, cold, weeks with no sunshine, snow, cold, snow, etc.) and the things I would miss (grand kids, children, friends, Fall, Chicago Fest, Spring, the Blues and the Chicago Blues Fest, etc.).  Well strike the Blues off the list as of last night for that was evening of the Second Annual Costa Rica Blues Fest.

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Dress Code Change. Shorts are OK!

Last year, I was visiting an inmate err friend at the Costa Rica nacional funny farm err Psychiatric Hospital. I drove up to the gate and requested entry, but the guard told me I could not enter because I was wearing shorts.   I thought he was joking… but no.  It was a rule. Needless to say I was more than a bit torqued at this.  I said nothing as too many times foreigners (read that as Gringos) act in a manner that 1. makes us look like a bunch of arrogant buttheads and 2 one seldom wins these battles.

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Travels with Della and Joanna

This post was actually sent in as a comment to an earlier post about crime in Costa Rica, but after reading it, I thought it not really relevant to crime… or maybe it was as these ladies apparently did a lot of cool things and experienced nothing but a fun time.

However, I did not want to discard it, and I decided it might be of general interest to a lot of readers, especially to older folks considering a trip to Costa Rica and more especially to older women who might like to travel together! Here is the account or the trip taken by Della and her female companion and written by Della.

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A Reader’s Opinion of Costa Rica – Change and Perspective

As you might imagine, I get a pretty fair amount of email. I try to reply, but I am often a few weeks backlogged as the stuff is arriving at the rate of maybe 200 emails per week. When I get a “good one”, I like to share it with other readers, and Neal from Canada has granted me permission to print his email.

I first came to Costa Rica maybe 15 years ago. It has changed significantly. My 15 years pales, however, next to Neal’s long term perspective of 46 years. I hope you enjoy it.  Click continue to read it.

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